Friday nights in August bring the return of the State Capital Museum’s annual film series Movies at the Mansion.  A series that showcases films of the 1930s-1960s, the ones you may remember or have always wanted to see.

In a time of economic recession we revisit films that brightened America’s depression years with either zany comedy or witty repartee, and others that address important social issues against the backdrop of the 1930s.  And we can’t forget fan favorite Humphrey Bogart, who returns this year with Lauren Bacall in the simmering resort drama Key Largo with Edward G.  Robinson in his well known role as the villainous mobster.

By far the film that has been most requested is To Kill a Mockingbird starring Gregory Peck as Atticus Finch, the noble and heroic southern lawyer, and Peck’s favorite screen roll.  Peck won an academy award for this portrayal which is currently pictured on a commemorative postage stamp.    The film is based on the novel of the same name, written by Harper Lee and published in 1960 to great acclaim.  The story is set in a small southern town, against the backdrop of the Great Depression, and this provides the perfect location to explore the issues of race and justice that the mid-1960s would address in the civil rights movement.  This film ends our series of four Friday night presentations in August.

Between the second and third film is the Hepburn and Grant comedy Bringing up Baby.  A pet leopard on a leash, Cary Grant in Mr. Magoo glasses as a paleontologist(!?), and a “feather brained vixen”(!?)- as the film promotion stated-describing Katharine Hepburn’s character.  The clash of characters results in a series of love triangles, time in jail,  and nightclub misadventures.  Directed by Howard Hawkes, this is a classic screwball comedy produced in 1938.

Kicking off the series is the zany Mark’s Brother’s film A Night at the Opera made in 1935.  Set initially aboard ship, the stateroom scene has been characterized as the funniest five minutes in movie history and been copied in many films.  In this film the comedy characters developed by brothers Harpo, Chico and Groucho Marx become solidified; the child-like harpist (Harpo), the Italian-accented piano man (Chico), and the fast talking, cigar chomping heart-of-gold con-artist (Groucho).

There are four famous comedy sequences to watch for: Chico and Harpo contract signing with a “sanity Klaus;”  the previously mentioned  Stateroom scene; the hotel scene featuring all the brothers racing back and forth between rooms, switching furniture and personas; and of course Harpo swinging on the set backdrops during a performance at the Metropolitan Opera.  Here is a classic comic routine with Groucho as Otis P. Driftwood.

“Detective: You live here all alone? Driftwood: Yes. Just me and my memories. I’m practically a hermit. Detective: Oh. A hermit. I notice the table’s set for four. Driftwood: That’s nothing, my alarm clock is set for eight. That doesn’t prove a thing.”

As one film writer states “Young people should be treated to comedy as it once was when laughter depended upon uproarious wit and a brand of physical comedy perfected by comedians through years of refining their craft in vaudeville.”

 

AUGUST 5.        A Night at the Opera

AUGUST 13.      Key Largo

AUGUST 20.      Bringing up Baby

AUGUST 27.      To Kill a Mockingbird

Classic Movies at the Mansion.  Doors open at 8:30 PM.  Film history at 8:45 PM.

Museum front lawn with seating in Coach House in case of rain.

Bring a blanket and chair.  Snacks and drinks will be sold before and during the show.  Coffee provided.

$2 suggested donation.

TACOMA, Wash. – Rabbi Steven Greenberg has an interesting view of things—he is openly gay, and is also an Orthodox rabbi. He says most people he meets are supportive. As for those who are not, he merely observes, “I despised myself for being gay for quite a while, so I’m patient with straight people for whom it takes time to understand.” (The Guardian, U.K.)

Greenberg will speak about his personal journey and give his interpretation of Jewish law in a free lecture at University of Puget Sound on Tuesday, Sept. 13, beginning at 7:30 p.m. The talk, “Wrestling with God and Men: Constructing a Queer Orthodox Faith,” will take place in Schneebeck Concert Hall. Thanks to the Swope Endowed Lectureship on Ethics, Religion, Faith, and Values, it is free and open to the public. Tickets are required, however. They can be obtained as explained below.

In his talk Greenberg will reveal the conflicts he faced personally and explore master stories from the Bible that have influenced our culture’s assumptions about sexuality. He will examine four traditional rationales for the prohibition of sex between members of the same gender, and reconsider how the laws of the Torah (the Jewish holy book) have been and could be applied to each.

Since “coming out” in 1999, Greenberg has turned his scholarship and talents to encouraging community dialogue on the subject of homosexuality and the Jewish tradition. He is the author of Wrestling with God & Men: Homosexuality in the Jewish Tradition, and he was a recipient of the Koret Book Award for Philosophy and Thought, one of the most prestigious awards in Jewish writing. Greenberg was featured in the acclaimed 2001 film Trembling Before G-d, about Orthodox gay Jews. The film was screened to 2,000 educators in Israel’s religious school system.

Greenberg received a Bachelor of Arts degree in philosophy from Yeshiva University in Israel and his rabbinical ordination from Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary. During the course of his studies, he gradually began to question his sexual orientation. However, he continued to date women throughout his 20s, even becoming engaged to one. He says he kept hoping for change—but it proved impossible.

Today Greenberg is a senior teaching fellow at the National Jewish Center for Learning and Leadership, a think tank and leadership-training institute in New York City. He is a founder of Jerusalem Open House, a LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender) community center in Israel’s Holy City. He helped organize the first Orthodox Mental Health Conference on homosexuality, and has worked with numerous families in reconciliation.

Greenberg’s lecture is sponsored by the Swope Endowed Lectureship on Ethics, Religion, Faith, and Values. The Swope was established at Puget Sound through a gift from Major Ianthe Swope in honor of her mother, Jane Hammer Swope. It is intended to promote discussion, critical thinking, and ethical inquiry about matters of religion, including its role in public life and contemporary ethics.

Tickets for the free, public lecture will be available from Monday, Aug. 29. They can be ordered at the information desk in Wheelock Information Center, online at www.ups.universitytickets.com, or by calling 253.879.3419. Advance ordering is highly recommended. A limited number of tickets will be available at the door. The doors open at 7 p.m. for the 7:30 p.m. lecture. A reception will be held following the lecture in Rasmussen Rotunda in Wheelock Student Center.

Alzheimer’s caregivers have special challenges, interests, and needs.  Among them is connecting with others in similar straits to get the latest information from experts and those in the trenches. That’s why the Alzheimer’s Foundation of America recently launched Care Crossroads (www.carecrossroads.org), an interactive caregiver community Web site.  Besides videos and resources, it lets users connect with social workers and other experts via Skype and live chat, or brainstorm and commiserate with fellow caregivers via discussion boards and online support groups.  (Source: MetLife)

The federal government is developing a national plan to fight Alzheimer’s disease – and you can help shape it right from your own home. On August 4th at 5 p.m. Pacific Time, the Alzheimer’s Association will host its first ever Tele-Town Hall to gather feedback from across the country on what issues the government should address in its National Alzheimer’s Plan.  RSVP and, on the night of the call, you’ll receive an automated call inviting you to join.  Tell the decision-makers from Washington, D.C. what you think!  Sign up at http://act.alz.org.  (Source ADN)